Senior Turkish diplomat appointed as UN’s special coordinator for Afghanistan

ANKARA

Feridun Sinirlioğlu, a senior Turkish diplomat who previously served as Türkiye’s permanent representative at the U.N., has now been appointed as U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s special coordinator for Afghanistan.

According to a release by the U.N., Guterres announced the appointment of Sinirlioğlu as the Special Coordinator, Independent Assessment Mandated by Security Council Resolution 2679 (2023).

“The secretary-general has asked Mr. Sinirlioğlu to lead the independent assessment with a view to providing recommendations for an integrated and coherent approach to address the current challenges faced by Afghanistan,” read the statement.

“Mr. Sinirlioğlu brings over four decades of experience in international affairs and diplomacy,” the U.N. noted.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry welcomed Sinirlioğlu’s appointment. In a written statement, the ministry recalled the importance Türkiye has been attaching to the international community’s engagement in resolving the problems in Afghanistan.

“Türkiye, having historical and cultural bonds with Afghanistan, will continue its works in the context of the U.N. and has no doubt that Special Coordinator Ambassador Sinirlioğlu will make a significant contribution to these works,” it added.

Sinirlioğlu was the foreign minister in the interim government of 2015 and served as the permanent under-secretary of the Foreign Ministry (2009-2015 and 2015-2016). Most recently, he was the permanent representative of Türkiye to the United Nations (2016 to 2023).